Other Colleges/Universities with no residency requirements

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by potpourri, Feb 26, 2010.

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  1. potpourri

    potpourri New Member

    I am familar with Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College which have no residency requirements in order to earn an undergraduate degree. I'm also know about Athabasca University that has a 3-year Bachelor of General Studies degree with no residency requirements as well.

    My question is there any other accredited colleges/universities that have no residency requirements? In particular I have heard of the University of New England, Armidale, which is in Australia. I have tried to see if I could get any information as to whether there is a residency requirement from there in order to get an undergraduate degree, but I have not been able to get an answer. Does anyone know if there is a residency requirement at the University of New England, Armidale?

    And, does anyone have any information to any other accredited colleges/universities besides the ones mentioned in the begiining of this post? If so, I would like to know and would be receptive to any other accredited colleges/universities that have no residency requirements. In other words, you can transfer in all your previous credits and if fulfilled, be able to earn a degree. Thank you.
     
  2. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    Are you referring to a physical residency or do you mean taking classes through a school regardless of method when you say "residency?"
     
  3. potpourri

    potpourri New Member

    I mean no residency requirement in the sense of no courses that have to be completed with that college/university whatsoever. The same like Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College and Athabasca University.

    In other words you can transfer all your previous coursework to them and if they fulfill their degree requirements you can earn a degree from them without having to do any coursework with them. The only exception is that now Charter Oak State College does require a capstone course so you can't say that they have no requirements because they do actually require a capstone course be completed with them in order to earn a degree.

    I hope you understand what I am trying to convey.
     
  4. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Bears Guide listed about 200 such schools, and there have been quite a few more since the now-aging most recent edition.

    (I am increasingly thinking that it would be really nice if Random House, the new owner of Ten Speed Press, decided to commission a new edition.)
     
  5. potpourri

    potpourri New Member

    I am not referring to 100% online courses that can be completed without having to actually show up for a class as "residency." I mean are there any other colleges such as Charter Oak State College, Excelsior College, Thomas Edison State College or Athabasca University where you can transfer in and complete a degree without having to take classes or courses through the school to get a degree.

    In other words, are there any other colleges/universities that offer a student a chance to earn a degree without a residency requirement the same as the schools listed above? I think that people have been mistaken about what I'm trying to get at and that's why I specifically asked if there are any other colleges/universities that have no residency requirements and where you can transfer credits in the same way that the above mentioned schools that I have indicated and earn a degree no matter where you take the courses so long as the school is accredited. In example, if a school requires 120 credits to earn a Bachelor's degree that you can transfer in all 120 and get a degree no matter where you earned the credits as long as the school is accredited and as long as you meet the requirements you can get a degree without having to actually take any courses with that college/university and there's no residency requirements. I know with Charter Oak State College, they require a capstone and so does Excelsior require an information literacy. I just was interested in knowing if there's any other colleges/universities that work the same way.

    I hope that this explains it much better. Thanks.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 27, 2010
  6. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

  7. rickyjo

    rickyjo Guest

    I understand what you are getting at :)

    http://www.forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?p=258530
    According to "pugman" post #12 Athabasca has no residency requirement (ie. you do not have to take classes there at all to get a degree from them). This university is in Canada, but I believe it is reputable. I suspect you will have no issues with a Canadian university in the US. I have not confirmed this myself, just giving you a name to research. Also this post is nearly 4 years old.

    Only one I could find.
     
  8. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I understand what you're asking, and I believe the answer is no.

    -=Steve=-
     
  9. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    I believe the 'big 3' US schools and Athabasca are all there are with these criteria.

    I've been very impressed with Athabasca, over the years. Spent a week there once, mostly talking to people about the notion of a doctoral program, and returned recently for a short visit. The degree would be as well accepted in the US as any major Canadian degree, which is to say extremely well.

    Still fascinated by the fact that when the 'big 3' all arose in the early 1970s, all the pundits (self included) were predicting that one state after another would follow this path, until every state had a state-run distance university. And after nearly 40 years, the total is still 3.
     
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Some possible reasons:

    1. These schools fill the need. Hardly likely, given that whatever the need is, it surely must have changed over the past 4 decades, yet we have just these three.

    2. Other schools fill the void. More likely. When the Big 3 were created, they weren't just pushing the envelope, the WERE the envelope. Back then, night school was "nontraditional." These days, awarding credit--but not entire degrees--based upon non-collegiate learning is commonplace. Also, I suspect the vast majority of undergraduate students at the Big 3 fill in the gaps (after their initial evaluations) with college classes. These days, many schools replicate this process, albeit with some limitations (like requiring that 30 s.h. be done at that school). But even those credits can be earned by taking online classes.

    3. There's no WIFM ("What's In it For Me?") for states to start one. Public higher education has been under assault for a long time; who has the money to start one of these things? And why bother when there are 3 others that will take these students? Finally, can't most of the students' needs be met with approaches like in #2 above? (Accept prior credits, award credit for non-collegiate learning, then require a minimum number of credits be earned by taking classes at that school.) Oh, wait. That is what's happening.

    4. There's no WIFM for a private school to start one. I can't imagine there's a lot of money to be made by charging fees for awarding credit for non-collegiate learning and credit done elsewhere. I have to think the real money is in instructional delivery. For a long time, the Big 3 didn't offer instruction of their own. Could the need to be more self-supporting (obvious in the privatization of Excelsior, but I also wonder about the other two) be driving this? Theoretically, an entrepreneur could take the accreditable Big 3 model and start a private school doing the same thing. But no one has. Yet we've seen nontraditional, private, for-profits schools arise, each with a mandatory teaching component.

    The Big 3 arose during a mini-revolution, one where the adult learner was actually being considered as an important focus. We saw the rise of several free-standing schools (Walden, Phoenix, Union, Fielding, Beacon, Saybrook, Sarasota, IGS), some of whom didn't make it. True, we've seen a few since (NCU, Capella, JIU, TUI), but they're really just traditional models delivered over the internet. I think the 1970's was a time for such things. The schools that survived continue on that momentum to this day. Many of their innovations are now quite commonplace in traditional higher education. And I think that's where you'll find the new additions to the Big 3 hiding: not as free-standing institutions, but instead woven into the practices of thousands of schools all over the country. Not a bad legacy: revolution becomes evolution.
     
  11. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Dr. Bear whats your take on the following 100% DL campus of a state university:

    Colorado State University - Global Campus.

    THis is a research university with new Global campus 100% DL.

    http://www.csuglobal.org/
     

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